Woman charged over fatal Wimbledon school crash

Selana Lau's family

The driver of the car which crashed into the grounds of a south-west London school killing two eight-year-old girls has been charged by prosecutors.

Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau died after a Land Rover driven by Claire Freemantle crashed into an end-of-term tea party on the lawn of The Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon in July 2023.

The Metropolitan Police apologised for how it "initially dealt with the incident" and said it would "fundamentally reset" how it investigates fatal and serious crashes.

The 48-year-old was charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and seven offences of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Her lawyers said she would deny all charges.

In a statement, the girls' parents said they were one step closer to finding out why their children died, which they described as an "unthinkable tragedy".

They added: "In June 2024, we rejected the Crown Prosecution Service's decision to take no further action because we did not believe that decision had been made on the full facts. We were right to challenge that decision.

"The Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Review Group's findings, the reopening of the investigation, and the need to obtain extensive new evidence over the last two years, have all vindicated our position.

"From the very beginning, we have demanded one thing: the truth about why our daughters were killed."

They added that since the fatal crash, they "have lived every day since then in torment — without peace, without answers, and without accountability".

"Despite overwhelming grief, we have been forced to fight for the most basic clarity about what happened.

"With the decision to charge Freemantle, the case will now proceed to trial. We are one step closer to understanding why Nuria and Selena were killed and why so many others were harmed."

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Commander charmain Brenyah, from the Met, said: "While it is right that this matter be independently scrutinised, we are sorry for how we initially dealt with the incident and for the impact on those affected.

"We must now let both criminal proceedings and the independent investigation run their course.

"However, following a review of the roads and transport Policing Command we will be fundamentally resetting how the Met investigates fatal and serious collisions.

"This will ensure our responses to incidents of this nature are more effective, providing better support and outcomes for victims and their families."

Family handout

When the Met carried out its first investigation, it ended in June 2024, with the driver Freemantle facing no charges as prosecutors said she had had an undiagnosed epileptic seizure.

She expressed deepest sorrow but said she had no recollection of what happened.

The parents of the girls complained that the Met Police had carried out a "flawed investigation" and later in 2024 the force reopened its investigation and said a number of lines of inquiry required further examination.

Freemantle was re-arrested in January 2025 on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating 11 Met Police officers for their handling of the initial inquiry into the crash including four serving officers and one former detective constable who are being investigated for possible gross misconduct.

Now nearly three years after their children were killed the parents of the girls will be able to see the woman who drove the car in court. They have always said they just wanted answers as to why their daughters were killed.

'Utterly devastated'

Freemantle's lawyers said the defendant was "utterly devastated" after the two girls' deaths, but she has "no recollection" of what happened.

The statement, from Mark Jones at Payne Hicks Beach LLP on behalf of Freemantle, read: "As a mother of school-aged children herself, Claire will be tortured for the rest of her life by the dreadful loss and injury resulting from the unimaginable tragedy of that day.

"She remains utterly devastated by the appalling consequences for all those so tragically affected."

It added: "We believe that initial decision by the CPS was the right one in these tragic circumstances and that there are serious questions to be answered about the reasons for its reversal today."

Family handout

Nuria Sajjad was described by her family as "a bright, feisty, girl who had a zest for life who was eager for her future and had excitedly planned a party for a birthday she would never see".

Selena Lau's family said she was "an intelligent and cheeky girl who was adored and loved by everyone".

Freemantle, of Edge Hill, Wimbledon, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 16 June.

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